A Summary History of the Palazzo Dandolo | Page 2

again that «in 1499, this magnificent abode was
prepared, by order of the Republic, to receive worthily the French
Ambassadors».
We could cite many other historical passages proving that this Palace
had belonged to the Dandolo family, but one more, and a very
interesting one, must suffice. In _Sanudo's Diary_ we read again «On
the evening of the 21 February 1531 the orator Cesareo, in the Palace
Dandolo, Calle delle Razze, on the quay, gave a very great feast, with
fireworks concerts, and illuminated boats, Spanish fashion, on the
Canal of St. Mark's, on the occasion of the elevation of the king of
Hungary and Boemia, to the dignity of a King of the Romans».
This historic Palace passed from the Dandolos to the Gritti family, in

1536, by a deed of sale; and it is not without interest to note that to
distinguish it from others of the same name, it is called in the deed,
«that Palazzo Dandolo in which generally abides the Ambassadors of
France».
[Illustration: ATRIUM AND DUCAL STAIRS IN THE PALAZZO
DANDOLO]
After the Dandolos and the Grittis, the Michiel, the Mocenigo and the
Bernardo families became its possessors by marriage, and they retained
it till the beginning of the present century, when, as we have said, its
second floor was sold, by the noble Dame Helen Michiel, widow of
Alvise Bernardo to Dal Niel. Dal Niel left it to his daughter Alfonsina
Muzzarelli, who was able, in 1840 to buy the first floor from the noble
Filippo Nani, the heir of the Mocenigos; and thus the whole building
passed to her daughter Giuseppina Roux, and forms the present Hotel
Royal Danieli.
The interior of this beautiful Palace we have already described its
architecture in Venetian Gothic, and Sansovino's hand is to be traced in
many of its details. It well deserves the reputation that it enjoys of
being one of the noblest hotels in the world--indeed its artistic beauties,
and its historic associations, can only be equalled by its unique and
romantic position. Mme Georges Sand, who lodged in the hotel in May
1834, as she watched from her balcony the sun setting over the
enchanting scene spread out before her, writes in her Letters of a
Traveller--«The sun had set behind the Euganean hills, great purple
clouds hung in the sky over Venice. The tower of St Mark's, the domes
of Sta. Maria, and the forest of spires and minarets that rise from all
parts of Venice, were drawn in black outline against the burnished
horizon. The sky passed, by an admirable gradation, from cherry red to
enamelled blue; and the water, calm and limpid as a glass, gave back
the exact reflection of this immense iridescence. Nearer the town the
lagoon was like a vast mirror of bronze. Never had I seen Venice so
lovely and so fairy-like».
To the beauty of a panorama unequalled in the world, that is spread
before the windows of the hotel to its historic associations to the purity
and the grandeur of its architecture, to the Venetian sumptuousness of
its halls and chambers (including the green saloon of the Doges) to the
magnificence of its Atrium and staircase--preserved in its original XVth

cent. condition, must now be added the important works of restoration
and embellishment just completed by the present proprietors who by
the aid of clever architects, artists and decorators, have studied the
means of bringing into requisition all the modern appliances, in the way
of Steam and Electricity, to produce luxury and comfort, without taking
from this interesting Venetian monument its original character, which
carries the traveller back to the epoch of the Dandolos, the Grittis, the
Bernardos, the Michielis and the Mocenigos.
[Illustration: SCALA D'ORO]

THE NEW YORK HERALD
(European Edition) of April 14th
says:
We have pleasure in offering to the readers of the NEW YORK
HERALD a few details about this splendid hotel, which, because of its
ancient history, its modern additions, its internal arrangements, its
topografical position at Venice, is one of the most interesting hotels in
Italy.
We will begin by pointing out the frame is worthy of the picture.
Among all the cities of the world, incontestably the most beautiful and
the most unique is Venice--the «Queen of the Adriatic».
Venice for the traveler, for the artist, for the poet, is far more
interesting than Naples, and even than Rome. The shores of Naples,
however enchanting, the monuments of Rome, however incomparable,
can be pictured by the imagination even without visiting them, but
Venice can be comprehended and realized only by seeing it with the
eyes and by living its life, and the more this is done, the greater
becomes the admiration excited.
The enchanting mysteries of its canals and of its picturesque streets and
calles, the grandeur of